Socializing Your Puppy
May 05
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One of the most important things you can do for your puppy is to make sure he or she gets socialization training. Ideally, this occurs during their first 16 weeks of life. Many veterinarians and professional dog trainers stress that the first 16 weeks is the crucial learning stage that sets a dog’s personality for life. Providing socialization training while still this young exposes them to a variety of sights, sounds, people, and animals, so that they are comfortable with dealing with new situations. An uncomfortable, unsocialized dog is more prone to being afraid and reacting poorly by barking, growling, biting, and acting in other aggressive manners.
Before a puppy has all his vaccines, around 12 weeks, it’s best if people come to him. Invite friends of all ages and ethnicities over to meet the new puppy. Let them know that the idea is for the puppy to interact with different kinds of people. By introducing him to a wide variety of ages and races, he will learn that it’s ok for people to be different from what he’s used to seeing. It’s a good idea to introduce him to other animals, but only if you know that they are up to date on their vaccines. You also need to be sure that those animals have been properly trained and don’t have any dog aggressive tendencies. One bad experience like that could damage your puppy’s emotional health.
Once a puppy has sufficient vaccines, particularly rabies, you can begin to expose her to other animals and people in public. There are many ways to do this. Firstly, by taking her to obedience training classes you will be getting behavior training and socialization training. Many pet stores allow customers to bring their dogs with them shopping. Walking in the park is a great way to socialize your puppy as there will be many people walking and kids playing, as well as, other people out with their dogs. Another great way to socialize your puppy with other dogs is by finding a dog park for her to be able to play directly with other dogs.
During socialization training, never encourage aggressive or fearful behaviors like barking, growling, or running away. If your puppy is displaying any of these behaviors, don’t cuddle them, as this will seem like a reward. Firmly tell them no, and reward the good behavior, instead.
Socializing can seem like a lot of work at first, but in the long run you will have a well-adjusted, emotionally strong dog with a great attitude and good manners.
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